"Too many of us have a Christian vocabulary rather than a Christian experience. We think we are doing our duty when we're only talking about it." — Charles F. Banning. I read this quote the other day, and it caused me to think. That is the power of a short, simple truth. Maybe one of the reasons I like Proverbs. Am I guilty of knowing and using church lingo but not putting it into practice? Am I merely talking the talk and not walking the walk? Those can be some tough soul- searching questions, but I think they are some that are necessary to examine ourselves (2 Corinthians 13:5).
This is what the Holy Spirit said through the apostle John, “Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth” (1 John 3:18). It is easy to say I love my brothers and sisters in Christ, but how does that play out in my life? I speak to them at church when I see them, I wave at them in Walmart, and if I remembered I prayed for them that time they were sick. Again it is easier to say I love my fellow Christians than to live it out. How about my neighbor or my enemy? How am I actively loving them and not just saying I am loving them?
I hope you get the point of this article: we are called to talk the talk but that is useless unless we back it up by walking the walk. Christianity must not just be talked about but lived out. We might refer to one who says one thing and lives another way as a hypocrite. I am sure if we are all honest with ourselves, we have probably all played that role before, but we do not have to continue in that role. Jesus calls us to a better life, one that glorifies Him. If you have been a hypocrite, do not continue to live that way but repent and strive to be salt and light in this world to bring God the glory and honor He deserves.